Metro Labyrinth - CH 39

The next day, Obuchi returns an appraisal value. The sale price of the things I gathered was 950,000 yen at the very least.

This was almost at the upper limit of yesterday’s estimate. It seems that Obuchi did his best. I tried my best to hold back my nosebleed.

“I think I did a reasonably good job of raising the price. What do you want me to do?” (Obuchi)

“Thank you. I’m good with that value.” (Shuu)

I don’t know what the market price is, but I decided to give Obuchi 100,000 yen out of the total. Obuchi was reluctant to accept the money, but since he had already paid for the hotel accommodations, I was willing to make sure to get him to accept the money.

“The cloak for the three of you will be completed next week. They are going to be gems with special effects, after all.” (Obuchi)

After lunch yesterday, I went to the tailor’s workshop, where they do everything from spinning to processing to taking measurements. The master of the workshop had a strong face with a beard and a body the size of an Obuchi, but the way he handled the needle and slid the scissors around was reminiscent of a skilled craftsman. The price, including the other materials, was about 200,000 yen for the three of us.

“All we need now is a house.” (Shuu)

We can’t stay at the inn forever. Since we now had enough money to live on, we would have to rent a room somewhere and fend for ourselves.

“My dream house, squeak! Pigya!” (Tamiko)

“But we’re still renting.” (Shuu)

Konno, who is as well-known as Obuchi, has been searching for an affordable house for rent through his contacts. Tomorrow, I’m going to visit one of the properties.

“By the way, Noa is a member of the Ikebukuro tribe? Is there a house in Ikebukuro?” (Shuu)

“I have a hut outside the city where I used to live with my great-grandfather. I haven’t been back there for years…” (Noa)

“So, we’re going to live together, the three of us. I’m going to choose a place where we can divide the place.” (Shuu)

“Yes! Squeak!” (Noa)

“That’s my squeak.” (Tamiko)

I’m going to live with a young lady I’m a little nervous. I promised myself that I would try not to look at her that way since she is my business partner and more than a year younger than me. It’s nothing if I promise myself.

The next day, Konno and I previewed several properties. One is on the upper floor of a building, an apartment complex for families. Behind a bakery near the west gate of the city, there is a house with better conditions than the others.

1LDK with toilet, bath, and washroom, the rent is 40,000 yen per month, more than 10,000 yen cheaper than other properties with the same specifications.

Originally, the owner of the bakery lived there with his wife, but after they got married and had a child, they leased the house.

“Actually, I used to be a hunter myself, and twenty years ago I retired and built this store and this house.” (Owner)

The owner of the bakery is a man in his fifties. It is hard to imagine this plump, friendly uncle fighting a Metro Beast with a hypha weapon in his hand.

The wooden one-story house is somewhat old, both in its exterior and interior. The buildings on either side are two or more stories high, so it doesn’t get much sun. Nevertheless, it is equipped with the minimum necessary facilities and has a garden, albeit a small one. It is perfect for the three of us. I can have one room as a girls’ room and I can sleep in the living room.

“Yes, yes… Abeshuu, this is the one, squeak.” (Tamiko)

“Is the smell the deciding factor?” (Shuu)

The smell coming from the store is certainly beyond good. The bread in the store also looks delicious, and we can live the life of a shoujo manga female protagonist who eats a slice of freshly baked bread for breakfast.

“To be honest, I don’t really recommend the area near the west gate right now.” (Konno)

Konno secretly hits his ear.

“Just last month, a new Metro appeared on the west side of the city. The Metro Beasts have started to appear frequently, and the residents near the west gate are a little worried. Well, the gate is heavily guarded, and with a guy like you, I’m sure it won’t be a problem.” (Konno)

“No worries. I’ll thoroughly beat them up.” (Shuu)

“Strong Metro Beasts in the deep Metro rarely come out to the surface, and unless something really bad happens, they won’t be able to break through the gate.” (Konno)

Tamiko and Noa don’t seem to be particularly concerned about it.

So, a new home in this world has been decided. It is a lovely house behind a bakery.

Since we were told that we could move in immediately, we left the inn the next day (Tamiko and the innkeeper cried as they said goodbye to each other) and started preparing to move in. Although we would need to register the house with the local government office, we would put it in Konno’s name for the time being, and only after registering as a hunter and obtaining a family register would we be able to officially become residents.

After cleaning the house and removing the musty smell from all the windows, Noa and us returned with a large amount of luggage. Obuchi, meanwhile, is carrying a couch in one hand. He is indeed a hunter.

In the evening, we have a small celebration with bread from the landlord, a welcome gift for moving in.

It’s the first alcohol I’ve had in five years. It is not the beer I have dreamed of, but a wine Obuchi has brought. A hundred years ago, I was so drunk that I fell off the balcony, but I am not the type of person to let that stop me from drinking. I have always had confidence in my ability to drink, and as long as I moderate my intake, I can enjoy it in a healthy way. As long as I can follow up.

“Yum, yum! The outside is squeaking crunchy! The inside is soft, squeak! I can’t stop eating.” (Tamiko)

Tamiko is halfway buried in the melon bread.

Finally, the time comes for the release of Noa’s treasured Catoblepas bacon.

After a long period of aging, it was smoked in the garden at noon today, and now it sits on the dining table as if it has always been waiting for me. The golden and pink meat is divine. The sounds of us swallowing echoed in the room.

“Ah, this is super delicious…” (Shuu)

The meat is very strong, and the more you chew, the more the flavor spreads. The smoky aroma of the meat was pleasant to the nose.

It is delicious even if you just bite into it as it is. It is also delicious roasted over a fire. It is also good sliced thinly and placed between bread. It is also good grilled with an egg. It’s a lump of sin.

Tamiko is sitting on the dining table with her stomach and cheeks flattened, saying, “I can’t take it anymore. She looks more like a chinchilla than a squirrel.

“–Even so, this is amazing.” (Shuu)

The party is over, and I followed Noa and Tamiko into the bath. The bathtub is made of a wooden box, which may or may not be made of cypress. It was just barely big enough to stretch out your legs.

The state of the bathtub in New Tokyo. In the city, I saw what looked like a solar-powered hot-water system, but unfortunately, this house was not equipped with one. However – I was astonished when I saw the “situation of water heating in this country” a while ago.

The bathtub was filled with water, and when Noah threw a mushroom into the bathtub, it bubbled and melted, turning the cold water into warm, steamy water.

It seems to be a processed (dried) byproduct of a mushroom called Furotaki mushroom. It is sold for about 100 yen a piece in every town. As usual, the scientific principle is unknown. Incidentally, they are said to react only to large amounts of water, so eating them will not kill you.

“Mycelial plants are awesome.” (Shuu)

The stove is not lit with gas, but with charcoal from the mycelium plant, lit with a match. It burns well and produces almost no smoke. The night light is also provided by a mycelium called Tsukushi, which burns for a long time when the tip of the plant is lit.

Sugamo City has no electricity or gas. Even so, thanks to the Metro system and the various mycelial plants that grow in the city, people are able to enjoy a fairly advanced civilized lifestyle.

(I wonder if there is electricity in more urban cities?)

Over a cup of tea after my bath, I asked Noa about it.

Noa’s eyes widen and she looks restless. It was as if she was made to tell a ghost story.

“Umm… Shuu-san, I don’t think you should talk about that outside.” (Noa)

“Why?” (Shuu)

“…I’m told that a demon will appear.” (Noa)

“I’ve heard of Demons, Demonic Diseases, and Demon War, but what does that have to do with electricity?” (Shuu)

“What is a demon?” Noa replied after flipping through her notebook. “They are intelligent life forms that resemble human beings. They have an intelligence greater than that of humans, control Fungal Skills better than humans, and boast levels higher than humans. There are cruel, and they take pleasure in killing people and bringing chaos to the world of mankind… It’s written in my great grandfather’s notes.” (Noa)

“That’s scary.” (Shuu)

It’s a description apt for “Demons”.

“Fifty years ago, New Tokyo was more civilized than it is today. One of the oldest tribes, the Shinjuku Tribe, was at the forefront of this development. According to my great-grandfather’s notebook, they were reviving some of the prehistoric science and technology by creating something called a power generation facility that used the Metro’s water source and biofuels. Cars, electric lights, telephones, etc.…” (Noa)

“Wow! As expected of Shinjuku!” (Shuu)

“Shinjuku, who are they, squeak?” (Tamiko)

“They are Nakano’s neighbor, Sis.” (Noa)

“The current governor of New Tokyo is the first chief of this tribe. But… Only five Demons destroyed Shinjuku Tribe, which boasted the best technology and military power. The battle eventually involved the whole of New Tokyo. It has evolved into a war that is now called the [Demon War].” (Noa)

Tamiko clung to my knees in fear at the force of Noa’s vivid storytelling, that sucked us in.

“The war was a large-scale war between the Demons, leading an army of vicious Metro Beasts, and an allied human army led by [Itokuri-shi]. As a result, the Demons and their army were annihilated and the human side won the war, but three tribes including Shinjuku were destroyed and 50,000 people, including six [Itokuri-shi], lost their lives.” (Noa)

“Seriously……?” (Shuu)

“Squeakiously …” (Tamiko)

The living room is silent for a few seconds.

“‘Demons and Metros have emerged to bring down the overdeveloped human civilizations’-that was the theory advocated by the Metro Church. Since then, New Tokyo’s advance in the research and development of science and technology has been capped. The three Major Taboo set by the church and approved by New Tokyo Metropolitan Government. “Taboos with the wall: crossing the wall, Metro Interference with the wall–contact with or beyond the wall,” “excessive development of the metro and excessive waste of resources,” and “revival of prehistoric civilizations.” (Noa)

“So no electricity or gas is being used …” (Shuu)

“I have my great-grandfather’s notebook, so I know some of the words and meanings of ‘electricity’ and ‘oil,’ but I don’t think today’s young people know much about such energy technology. They are sealed knowledge now.” (Noa)

So instead of not being able to do it, they chose not to do it. To curb the excessive development of science.

Resetting an excessively developed civilization—Does my imagination that this sounds like the fantasy of a radical 21st-century environmentalist, or is it just the way science fiction anime tends to set things up? Is it my imagination?

I would like to talk to the church members, but as a typical non-religious Japanese, I am afraid to get involved with a new religion.

Well, as far as I’m concerned, I don’t feel any particular inconvenience living in Sugamo so far (minus the five years of life under the Metro). Of course, there is no end to wanting luxuries, and I do miss my smartphone and TV, but it’s not like I would die if I didn’t have them. I don’t suffer from cat video depletion syndrome either, because I am in an environment where I can see the real thing, so no withdrawal symptoms.

“I wonder if Demons look something like the bandit boss we saw the other day. You said it was the Demonic Disease.” (Shuu)

The image of that horrifying monster, neither man nor beast, reappears in my mind.

“The [Demonic Disease] is sometimes referred to as ‘the failure to become a demon’ because of its ferocity and ability to kill, similar to that of a demon, and its monstrous appearance that transforms after death, but to what extent it is related to a real demon, I do not know. It seems that my great-grandfather was discussing this, but the handwriting in that part of the book is too messy to read.” (Noa)

I asked him to show me the page to try, but it is very difficult to read not only that page, but the whole page is written in a worm-like style. Only his great-grandchildren who have lived together with him would be able to decipher it.

“Fifty years have passed since the [Demon War], and although it has become something like a fairy tale and a story to discipline today’s children, the Hunter’s Guild has designated the demons as a realistic threat as ‘a calamity that will soon appear.’ There is even an article in the guild’s code that states, ‘In the event of an emergency, we will mobilize the power of all hunters in New Tokyo to defeat them.’ Few people seem to take it seriously, though.” (Noa)

“So this is not an irrelevant topic for hunters either, huh?” (Shuu)

The same [Itokuri-shi] as me, a demon killed six of them. I can’t imagine how monstrous they are. But it’s not like they are going to conveniently or inconveniently show up in front of me. I try not to think about it because it might raise a flag.

“Well, it’s not a matter of immediate future. First, I have to be a hunter.” (Shuu)

He looks at the wall calendar (a simple one with no patterns or pictures, just the date).

Today is Wednesday, May 15, year 107 of the Tokyo calendar.

Three days later, on Saturday, the 18th. There will be the monthly Hunters’ Guild new member registration screening.

Apparently, in order to become a member of the guild and be able to call oneself a hunter, one must pass an interview that includes an ability assessment.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. Obuchi-san and I will teach you exactly what to do.” (Noa)

Noa thumps her chest (her thin clothes are shaking).

“I’m not very good at interviews…” (Shuu)

The nightmare of a single win and twenty-seven fails during my job hunting process was resurrected after a hundred years.

It’s not that I’m shy or soft-spoken, but when I’m facing an interviewer in a suit, my tongue gets numb and I can’t think straight. When it comes to the pressure of interviews, I’m as helpless as an overturned turtle.

“A test/trial huh, I’ll take care of you, squeak!” (Tamiko)

“You’re reliable, but you don’t understand anything.” (Shuu)

In the Hunter’s Guild of New Tokyo, it seems that there are no “show me what you are made of” type of tests in the underground training halls like the tropes in manga and anime.

This is because there is no need for such tests. Both my level and the Fungal Class can be checked as visualized indicators on a Test Sheet.

In other words, if I take the test without thinking and planning, 100%, I will be exposed as a [Itokuri-shi].

In addition, there is a high possibility that they will find out that I was not born in this period once they start questioning me.

How to avoid the Test Sheet for the Fungal Class and pass the test without being discovered is the key. Thanks to Obuchi and Noah, we are perfectly prepared for the exam.

Perfect? No, I’m worried.

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do as well as I did in our practice…

“Okay, I’m off.” (Shuu)

“Have a safe trip. Good luck.” (Noa)

I changed into a hunter’s jersey, put Tamiko on my shoulder, and left the house. The sun was shining brightly. I couldn’t sleep well last night, so my eyes were blurry.

“Abeshuu, you couldn’t sleep, squeak?” (Tamiko)

“Oh, was it obvious?” (Shuu)

So, off we go to the hunter’s guild office.

A/N: I will update the information on the existing tribe and other places in a separate section later.